Car-roof



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1,.

- H. ALDRIDGEL;

GAR ROOF.

No. 310,971j Patented Jan. 20, 41885.

un t/l dwu Q 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. H. ALDRIDGE.

CAR ROOF.

Patented Jan. 20, 1885.

(No Model.)

Unrrnn sures ATENT tries.

HIRAM ALDRIDGE, OF WHEELING}, VEST VIRGINIA.

CAR-ROOF.

SPECIPICATIONfoz-miug part of Letters Patent No. 310,971, dated January 20,1885.

(No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be itknown that I, I-IIRAM ALDRIDGE, a citizen of the United States, residing at \Vheeling, in the county of Ohio and State of \Vest Virginia, have invented a new and Improved Car-Roof, of which the followingis a specification.

My invention relates to a ear-roof and can body in which are employed a ridge-pole having a double rabbet-shaped groove inclined to the pitch of the roof, in each of its lower corners or edges carlings, under and upper purlins, car-sheathing, cave-plates, frieze-boards, grooved fnrring-blocks, inner sectional metal roofing-sheets with laterally lapping joints, joint battens, and outside or top roofingboards, said parts being respectively constructed for awater-tight union with one another by means of screws or other fastenings, aided by the lap-joints and a clamping action of the purlins, in the formation of a carroof whose metal sheets, while extending beyond the sheathing of the car-body, will not close up the drippassages between said sheathing and the cave-plates, and which metal sheets can easily be removed in sections in a direction at right angles to the ridge pole.. the sheets on one side being removable in a direction the reverse of that in which they are re movable on the other side.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a plan view of my improved roof, showing one side complete and the other side partly broken away. In this view at the framing of the roof and the main or under purlins and carlings are seen; at metal sheets are shown applied, and one in the act of being withdrawn; at jointbattens and upper purlins are shown, and at the wood sheathing or outer roofing-boards are shown. Fig. 2 is a broken detail perspective view of a lower purlin, joint-batten. and laterally-lapped metal sheets of roof. Fig. 3 is a detail end view of j oint-batten; and Fig. 4 isa similar perspective to Fig. 2, showing the joint-batten and the upper purlin. Fig.

5 is a perspective view of a furringblock. Fig. 6 is a detail section of two of the sheets of the metal rooting, showing the lap-joints which are at right angles to the ridge of the rooff Fig. 7 is a detail perspective sectional view similar to Fig. 2, showing the metal roofing-sheets and lap-joints formed of corrugated sheets. Fig. 8 is a transverse section of my car-roof and a portion of a car-body, parts 011 one side of the structure being broken away or removed in order to more plainly illustrate my invention. Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail sectional view of the cave portion of the car roof and body, the section being taken on one side of a furring block instead of through the block, as in Fig. 8; and Fig. 10 is an enlarged detail cross-section of the ridgepole and parts connected to it.

A in the accompanying drawings represents the ridge-pole, which is constructed with (lon ble rabbet-shaped grooves a a, cut laterally into its lower corners or edges on a line parallel with the incline of the roof, as shown. The two parts a 0, forming the ridge-pole, are united and drawn together by a strong bolt, b, having a large head at its upper end and a nut on its lower end. The lower rabbet-shaped part, a, of the groove of the ridge-pole receives the ridge ends of metal roofing-sheets B, said sheets being laid upon the top surface of the lower purlins, O, the part 0 of the ridge-pole, the frieze-board D of the sheathing of the carbody E, and the grooved furring-blocks F, the portions of the sheets which rest upon the purlins being raised slightly above the pitch-line by constructing the purlins with theirpitchline surfaces a little higher than that at This difference in the elevation of the surfaces and is very essential in the construction of my roof, as will be presently shown. The upper rabbet-shaped part, a, of the groove of the ridge-pole receives joint-battens G, which are placed at intervals on top of the lapped joint edges of the metal sheets and made to rest upon the frieze-board D, and extend beyond the same about half the width of the drip-space d, which is between the eaveplate D and the cave edge of the roof. The metal sheets are preferably made wit-h flat surfaces 0, and a concave-convex flute, f, at each of their edges, and they are lapped laterally upon one another at right angles to the ridgepole, as shown. The joint-battens G are fluted at h to correspond with, fit over, and snugly receive the overlapped jointed edges of the metal sheets, and when secured in position they serve for covering and binding the joints tightly and for holding the sheetsintheir prop- 1 about three-fourths of an inch in thickness or places, thus securing the sheets firmly to the main roof-frame. A batten is to'be used for each joint, and after the sheets are jointed or lapped to one another and placed in posi tion the ridge ends of the battens are forced tightly into the rabbet-shaped part a of the groove in the ridge-pole, and then further fastened by means of screws h, passed through them and the cave ends of the metal sheets into the frieze-boards or facia finish D on the outside of the main wall E of the car. having the flutes in the under surface of the battens fit exactly the ridges formed at the lapped joints of the sheets, and fastening the battens firmly, described, the sheets are held and prevented from jarring out of their proper places.

In my roof the main or lower purlins are constructed and framed into the carlings in the usual manner, except that top surfaces project sligh tly-say one-fourth ofan inchabove the top pitch'line of the roof-frame. This is done in order that the sheets when placed in their respective places and fastened down by the joint-battens a wrapping strain shall be made downward upon them, this wrapping strain bein due to the fact of their ridge and cave ends being lower than the surface of the intermediate main. purlins of the roof-frame, and the strain which comes upon the ends of the battens tending to bend them from a straight form, which tendency to bend is caused by the battens first binding upon those portions of the sheets which are resting on the intermediate purlins, having surface a little higher than the other portions of the pitch-line of the frame of the roof. Thus it will be seen that the sheets will be held very firmly by the battens and kept from get ting out of their proper places when any ordinary vibrating strain of cars loaded and in use comes upon them. Above the battens and resting upon them are upper or top purlins, I, which are applied at equal distances apart and between the caves and the ridge-pole, and fastened down to the top surface of the joint-battens with screws h The intermediate top purlins also project at slightly above the pitchline of the outer wood roof, J, the same as in the case of the lower or main purlins with respect to the pitclrline of the inner metal roofing-sheets. These upper purlins, with other parts, form a frame-work to which the outer wood boards, forming roof J, can be fastened by nails or screws, and said frame-work will cause said roofing-boards to operate with a wrapping downward action when they are nailed or screwed down at their ends and at other points, and thus both the inner metal roofing and the outer wood roofing or decking boards are firmly bound and fastened together, the whole coacting to the end of making a strong, firm, light, and water-tight car-roof.

The cave ends of the metal sheets are held closely down to the frieze-board or wall-plate of the roof by the furring-blocks F, which are and grooved at m, and fastened to the caveplates D and facia or frieze board D by means of bolts 1*, in such position that the cave ends of the metal sheets, which extend about threeeighths of an inch beyond the frieze-board, enter the grooves m of the blocks, and thus serve for conducting the drip-water away from the side sheathing of the car-body through the drip-passage d, between the cave-plate and cave edge of the roof. These blocks are so arranged that one comes in the center of a sheet, and their grooves are of such depth that the sheets cannot entirely close the said drip passage. By this arrangement of the blocks the sheets are kept down in proper position at their cave ends, and still the space between the cave-plate and the frieze-board for drip-water beyond the facia finish and sheathing of the car-body is maintained. The metal sheets might be made of corrugated metal and joined by lapping their edges, as shown in Fig. 7 of the drawings; but the other construction (shown in Fig. 6) is preferable, as it makes a firmer connection and affords a better circulation for air.

It will be seen that my improved car-roof has an air-space, 2, between the metal sheets and outer wood covering -boards, and said space is in communication with the external air by means of the corrugations or flutes and channels provided in the sheets and battens from the ridge-pole to the caves of the root.

In addition to the flutes in the metal sheets, suitable channels, n, for circulation of air may also be provided between any two adjoining pieces. This construction avoids premature decay or rotting of the timbers of the structure.

A roof constructed with my invention as herein described will be entirely free from danger of leakage under ordinary strains or use, and in case and cost of construction and durability as well will be found to very perfcctly meet the demands of the public, and when repair of the roof is necessary the metal sheets can be removedin separate sections by simply taking off the cave-plate and tuningblocks, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and S.

Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The car-roof comprising sheets of metal provided with fluted or corrugated edges, and overlapping one another at said edges and placed upon the car-frame, and having matched joints between the respective sheets at right angles to the edge of the roof, joint-battens placed upon the joints formed by the lapped edges of the sheets, ridge-pole with double rabbetshaped groove parallel with the pitch of the roof to receive the ridge ends of the sheets and battens, lower or main purlins and earlin gs, and wall-plates supporting the metal sheets, grooved furring-blocks for receiving the cave ends of the sheets, and top purlins resting upon the battens, substantially as described.

2. The car-roof comprising sheets of metal TIO provided with fluted or corrugated edges, and

overlapping one another and placed upon the car-frame, and having matched joints between the respective sheets at right angles to the ridge of the roof, joint-battens fluted to match the overlapping joint edges of the sheets, and placed upon the joints formed by the lapped edges of the sheets,- ridgc-pole with double rabbet-shaped groove parallel with the pitch of the roof, for receiving the ridge ends of the sheets and battens, lower or main purlins and c-arlings, and wall-plates supporting the metal sheets, grooved furring-blocks for receiving the cave ends of the sheets, cave-plates, top purlins, and outer roofing or deck boarding, substantially as described.

3. The described car-roof comprising sheets connected by their fluted lapping edges, jointbattens, and main or lower pnrlins framed into the carlings of the roof-frame, with their top surface above thelevel of the top or pitch line of said frame, upper purlins, with their top surface above thelevel of the pitch-line of the top surface of the ridge-pole, cave and wall plates of the car, and outer roofing or deck boards, substantially as and for the purpose described.

4:. The caurcof having its ridge-pole provided with the double rabbet-shaped groove to a, parallel with the pitch of the roof, for receiving and aiding in holding the ridge ends of the sheets and battens in place, substantially as described.

5. The combination of furring-blocks grooved on the pitch-line of the roof, ridge'pole grooved also on the pitch-line, overlapped metal sheets fluted or corrugated on their edges, joint-battens, main or lower purlins framed into the carlings of the car-frame, and wall-plates or frieze-boards, whereby the metal sheets are held parallel with the pitch-line of the roof at the ridge and caves of the roof,- while their overlapped edges are made to form tight joints beneath thebattens,substantially as described.

6. In a car-roof, the metal sheets provided with fluted or corrugated edges for the'pnrpose of forming joints between them,and held in place by j oint-battens fastened at ridge and eave ends, in combination with carlings and upper and lower purlins, and an outer roof or deck fastened to the upper purlins, substantially as described.

HIRAM ALDRIDGE.

Witnesses:

O. G. KING, SAM B. HARRISON. 

